154 



NEW EXGLAKD FAR^MER. 



"March 



not sit, or hang, so well ; and if ever the old fash- 

 ion returns, the difference between the worn and 

 the unworn portions will give the dress a shabby 

 look— cither make the ^kirt with whole widths 

 and straight seams or cut the material according 

 to the prevailing style. 



All skirts wear longer for being lined. It is not 

 always necessary to buy new cambric for this pur- 

 pose. The best widths from old dresses— whether 

 of lawn, gingham, calico, or cotton -and- wool de- 

 laine—should be washed, slightly starched and 

 u-oned, expressly for this purpose. A cambric 

 lining and facing will bear removal through two 

 or three dresses, if thus renovated at each change ; 

 also sleeve and waist linings. Even when a waist 

 lining is worn out around and under the arms a 

 piece of strong silcsia from some other cast away 

 lining may be so skilfully inserted that it will do 

 good senice in a working-dress or wrapper. 



It is especially necessary to line gored skirts ; 

 and the lining and outside must suit each other 

 exactly,— being siitched together, through their 

 whole length. In stitching these seams be careful 

 not to full, nor to stretch either edge— both 

 straight and crosswise must lie easily and smooth- 

 ly together. After they are stitched, press them 

 carefully, and then baste your facing: this should 

 be of haircloth or wiggin for all nice dresses ;— or 

 the more ordinary !-tlff cambric will suffice. It 

 will need particular fitting at the seams to give 

 the skirt a free and flowing appearance. 



The gored street or walking dress is getting 

 modified to a veiy pretty style, suited either to 

 the house or out-of-doors ; and, having the double 

 recommendation of economy and comfort added 

 to its good looks, will ; robably long be a fovorite 

 with persons of a correct taste and ripe judgment. 

 But as to train-skirts, they are an abomination, 

 which, if every sensible woman will let them 

 alone, must veiy soon pass away. 



Exercise your best taste in the ornamenting of 

 your dress. A little nice, simple tri.nming im- 

 proves, because it relieves, the monotony of a 

 plain dress, and, by contrast, enhance.? ihe beauty 

 of the fabric. But a great deal of triuunin ,, or 

 too strong a contrast either in color or material, is 

 worse than none at all. Figured, striped, checked, 

 and plaidcd goods seldom need anything beyond 

 their own substance, arranged in lold.'^^, to give a 

 finish to seams and edges, and to break up the 

 stifi'ncss and formality of their designs. 



The chief fault in dress-making is the super- 

 abundance of trimming and ornament. Beside 

 the extravagance of time and money which it oc- 

 casions, many a beautiful gannent is actually dis- 

 figured l}y such a wasteful display ; and many a 

 young wf)man who dues not yet clearly understand 

 the jirinciples of beauty, finds fault with every- 

 thing, rather tlian its ornaments, because her dress 

 is so unbecoming. She knows that she is satisfied 

 with her morning and working dress, plain as they 

 are, and by-and-byc she will discover that simpli- 



city and haiTnony constitute the highest and the 

 most charmiilg beauty. 



The fabrics and the fashions of women's outside 

 garments are so numerous and so variable that I 

 can only offer a few general suggestions in regard 

 to them. Let comfort be your first consideration, 

 and let common sense rule in all your deliberations 

 upon the matter ; and when you have once made 

 up your mind as to that which is best suited to 

 your needs, be contented with it, so long as it is 

 comfortable and looks respectable. 



The most useful outer garment a woman can 

 have, and one which every woman should own — no 

 matter how much handsomer or how many her purse 

 may afford — is a common hooded cloak ; made long, 

 loose, and large ; of what is called waterproof or re- 

 pell ant cloth. It is always in season, always ap- 

 propriate, be the weather fair or foul ; but for one 

 who is often exposed to stormy, or wet weather it 

 is absolutely indispensable. It is universally 

 known, and so simple in its construction that no 

 directions for cutting or making it need be here 

 given. I would only say that, of all outside gar- 

 ments, own this, if j'ou own nothing else. 



The head, being the most important part of the 

 human figure, and the chief seat of beauty, its 

 clothing piesents claims to our most careful atten- 

 tion. Hence women have considered head-dresses 

 as the best suljects for the efforts of the ingen- 

 ious and fanciful, till the imagination seems to 

 have run riot in the fabrication of hats and bon- 

 nets. The most insane notions in reference to the 

 elegance, the fitness and the comfort of these arti- 

 cles have at times controlled their fashion — never 

 more so than at present. Still, we must, in a 

 measure, conform to the prevailing customs of so- 

 ciety ; one of which is to wtar a lionnet for dis- 

 play rather than for use — especially in the winter 

 season. 



1 suppose after this harangue my readers hardly 

 expect me to teach them how to practice economy 

 in these things. Nevertheless, I make the attempt, 

 by starting first with that axiom of the judicious 

 Hooker: "Choose the greater good l)efore the 

 lesser." Bonnets must be worn ; do not overlook 

 their convenience amid the absurdities of which 

 they are made the vehicle. Let your choice be 

 from the most modest and unpretending; compar- 

 ing favorably wiih your other clothing — nice, yet 

 not fine ; beautiful, but not gaudy. As much as 

 possible they should be the work of your own 

 hands, the exponents of your own taste — not the 

 mimicry of some crazy Jane of a milliner's ap- 

 prentice, though you may purchase the frame and 

 sometimes the materials of her mistress. 



The gi-accful aspect, the jaunty air, which some 

 suppose that none but the fingers of an adept can 

 communicate to that conglomeration of textures 

 and tissues that passes for a bonnet, may not at 

 first come at your bidding. But, in the event of a 

 first failure, all good sprites having cognizance of 

 your essays at truth and beauty, will so turn the 



